Turn an Old Bronze Plaque Into a Birdfeeder

Make the world a better place, recycle someones precious momento into a birdfeeder.

Step 1: First You Need to Score Yourself a Plaque, I'd Suggest Thrift Stores, and Church Rummage Sales As Sources

get your plaque, and remove the wooden backing, then find the approx center of balance and on the back clean it up with a wire brush BTW this plaque is solid bronze and weighs about 5 lbs.

Step 2: Now Get Ready to Braze

break out the MAPP gas torch, solder rosin and a copper 1/2' inch pipe cap. Solder the pipe cap to the center of mass of the plaque it takes awhile to heat up that much bronze.

Step 3: Take It Out Back

After it cools, take it out back with a peice of hard copper pipe, drive the copper pipe into the ground and slip the plaque onto the pipe, add a handful of seed and you are done, the squirrels will thank you, and maybe a bird or too, the damned ingrates.

Comments

[Mantelli]

It's actually "memento", not "momento"! And, alas, bronze is going for such high prices at scrap metal dealers that monuments are being robbed of their commemorative plaques now in many large cities. It's amazing that you were able to find such a plaque at a thrift store.

[smokehill]

This is a pretty nifty idea, though I kinda suspect that if you have a scrap metal dealer anywhere nearby you could have gotten a respectable piece of change for that big chunk of bronze, even as scrap. Copper, even, has gone way up in price, to the point that people are stealing plumbing pipe from vacant houses, and I think bronze brings a lot more. Although I like this feeder, I'd have been inclined to scrap it, use an old hubcap for the feeder, and spend the difference on silly stuff.

[domant]

I think you have better thrift stores than I do...

[Tool Using Animal]

This is just a comment on the pageviews, but when i open up this instructable it says zero page views, when I refresh it goes up by one increment 0,1,2, now obviously since there are two comments the page views can't be zero, hmmm,

[titaniumfrog]

nonferrous metals (brass, bronze, copper, silver. etc.) dont rust.

[akimbo m]

sweet... although i wonder if it should be painted to prevent rust or something...